Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1999 12:03:21 -0500
From: Interfaith Working Group
Subject: IWG Philadelphia Inquirer Vermont Letter
December 23, 1999
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PO Box 8263
Philadelphia, PA 19101
Dear Editors:
The December 22 cartoon and editorial reacting to
the Vermont Supreme Court marriage decision were both
fundamentally flawed. There are legal, social, moral,
and ethical questions that cannot be boiled down to
whether justice is blind to orientation (the
cartoon), or whether those who favor discrimination
are homophobic (the editorial). Gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered people are discriminated
against in marriage, but federal and state civil
marriage laws explicitly discriminate on the basis of
gender, not orientation. Civil marriage creates a
legal relationship between two otherwise unrelated
consenting adults of different genders, regardless of
their races or religions, and regardless of the
society's racial and religious sensibilities and
prejudices. Majority religious beliefs never justify
unequal treatment of minorities. Your proposal for
creating massive new legal categories for
relationships in every state (but not at the Federal
level) rather than just removing gender from the
marriage laws may not be "homophobic," but it seems
to be based on the extremely flawed idea that
government has a responsibility to reinforce the
belief that mixed-gender relationships are inherently
superior, at the expense of the rights of those who
are not heterosexual.
Sincerely,
Barbara Lamond Purdom Christopher Purdom
Interfaith Working Group Coordinators
The above letter was sent on IWG letterhead listing 17 congregations and
religious organizations and 62 clergy from 16 religious traditions. Read
our introduction to religious liberty: http://www.iwgonline.org/liberty/
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Interfaith Working Group
PO Box 11706
Philadelphia, PA 19101
http://www.iwgonline.org/
iwg@iwgonline.org
voice: 215-235-3050
fax: 215-232-0829